Pages

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Qatar gets all clear for Belgrade flights

Qatar Airways granted license for Belgrade flights

Qatar Airways has been granted a license to launch flights from Doha to Belgrade after the two countries signed a bilateral air traffic pact. In an e-mail sent yesterday, the Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate informed that the pact is similar to Europe’s Open Skies Agreement, allowing carriers from Qatar to operate as many flights as they wish to Serbia. Similarly, this also applies to Serbian based airlines wishing to launch flights to Qatar. “This is a very modern act that will lead to traffic liberalisation between Serbia and Qatar”, the Serbian Directorate says.

Qatar Airways is to inaugurate four weekly flights from Doha to Belgrade this September. The service is set to operate via the Turkish capital Ankara. The airline is now intent on receiving rights to carry passengers between Ankara and Belgrade and vice versa. However, Turkey is unlikely to grant such rights. Despite the trend towards liberalisation, there remain considerable government restrictions on airline operations to and from Turkey, according to a recent IATA report. Both Croatia and Serbia have had problems with Turkey prior to this year’s summer season when it came to agreeing on frequencies and granting licenses to charter airlines.

Last month, the Qatari national carrier launched daily flights from Doha to Zagreb via Budapest. The airline has been granted rights to sell tickets on flights between Hungary and Croatia. So far, Qatar Airways has had respectable loads on the route.

33 comments:

I was flying business class on Qatar ZAG-BUD leg last week. Service in Qatar business class is incomparable with any other business class. I was flying business class in Lufthansa, KLM, ČSA, Austrian, Air France, Croatia Airlines and it is not even near to it.

Oh, Purger, we thought you paid your ticket only ~131€... How come the business class was so cheap? I wonder what distinctive high quality services were you able to get on the half-hour flight...PS: I didn't know Croatia Airlines has business class.

PS2: "Purger" is a nickname for Zagreb citizen. It actually means just that - citizen - in broken German(buerger).

I paid ticket some 120 EUR, but I did get complimentary upgrade to business class from Qatar on gate.

On 30 minute flights you get:

- drink before take off (I choose fresh squeezed orange juice, one of the best I ever taste)- hot towel before take off- champagne- warm meal (you can choose one of meals from 7 options, I choose stuffed artichoke)- cake- drink as much as you want (they ask you at least 3-4 times if you want some more drink)- wine from very impressive wine list (including Bordeaux Chateau Monbousquet, Albert Bichot Meursault Chardonnay – in list of 100 worlds’ top wines, Hunters Mariborough Sauvignon Blanc, Dr.Loosen Erdener Treppchen...), - accessories including thick socks for walking inside plane, mask for eyes, earplugs, hairbrush, canvas bag, - blanket, huge pillow- personal 15” TV with several hundreds films, games... + complimentary headsets- 160 degrees flat bed (4 seats in row in A320)- newspaper- cabin craw that really makes you impression that they enjoy to serve you, several times they repeat “Please Sir, tell us anything you need we will be very glad to serve you. We are here for you”. It starts from very beginning where they escort you to your place, help you with your belongings till very end when they don’t aloud other passengers to exit before everyone from business class leave plane. After take off purser came to you to introduce himself and again tell you that you can ask him personally for anything you want. They always smile.

Yes explanation for “Purger” is absolutely right. By old zagrebian statute Purger is citizen of Zagreb whose parents and grandparents was born or citizens of Zagreb (more than 40 year to live in city).

I will try to fly with qatar/emirates in business class to Australia, i have been flying with Singapore airlines from Adelaide via Singapore to Germany a couple of times and they are realy good especialy in business class BUT they are too expensive:)!.

Thats correct. AGX has an agreement with Sky Airlines of Turkey for the usage of 2 B739's (TC-SKN and TC-SKP). It will remain in an all Y class configuration. Its interesting how AGX got 2 ac and JAT still nothing :D

These charter flights had nothing to do with Aviogenex. Simply Serbian CAD rejected Sky Airlines' request and has not issued them flying licence at first. But in the end Sky Airlines got the licence so in couple of days these flights will be ZY flights.

I am very pessimistic regarding this connection due to poor connections of Qatar to Australia, primarily. There are very few Serbs, here in Qatar, mainly "baustelci" with no money, whatsoever. So, to count on them makes no sense at all.My forecast is, after few months this connection will be ceased.

"Baustelci" do fly as well, but QR money is in East Asia - it is first viable alternative, both scheduling and price-wise to SU via SVO. China, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore... and trust me, there is a lot of traffic from BEG to these places, definetely one of the reasons why SU keeps sending its A321 to BEG and why two daily flights are packed. Then, this is first "direct" line to Africa - people were flying via FRA and ZRH, sometimes FCO. Now this is something else, and again price-wise, they are the cheapest option.

If they can attract Australia, great. But the line will work fine without it as well.

Of course these new route will be not successful at the begin.It will be in the long term.People are used to fly via European hubs...it takes some time people change their attitude.Qatar Airways really has a very good product..i am sure people will love them!

Btw i also flew with Flydubai.They are also a good airline..not perfect(well they are low cost!)but in every case better than Jat and a lot of other airlines which claim to be something better.

Hi,Companies set up in a specific free area can be completely possessed with Incorporation in Qatar by a non-Qatari person or persons, whereas a company set up outside a free area can only be 49 percent possessed by a non-Qatari.Thanks.....

Before posting a comment be mindful of other participants and readers. EX-YU Aviation News does not tolerate insults, excessive swearing, racist, homophobic or any other chauvinist remarks or provocative posts with the intention of creating further arguments. Such comments will be deleted as soon as possible. The opinions expressed by those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of EX-YU Aviation News. Thank you for your cooperation.

LIVERY OF THE WEEK

Cyprus Airways

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

Cyprus Airways has taken delivery of its first Airbus A319 aircraft since Charlie Airlines won the right to work under the Cyprus name in July 2016. The carrier's corporate design elements were created by the British agency Landor. The pastel shades were chosen for the livery to replicate the various colours of the Mediterranean Sea surrounding the island. The olive branch, the main symbol of Cyprus that can also be found on the national flag of the republic, is depicted on the tail unit and engine nacelles of the plane. The former mouflon logo used by Cyprus Airways is still featured on the aircraft, next to the plane's front exit

GLOBAL AVIATION NEWS

No survivors in PIA crash

All 48 people onboard a Pakistan International Airlines plane were killed when it crashed into a mountain in northern Pakistan on Wednesday. Flight PK661 from Chitral to Islamabad crashed at 16:42 (4.42pm) local time about 70km north of Islamabad. The airline said there were no survivors. The plane, an ATR 42-500, was carrying 42 passengers, five crew members and one engineer, according to the airline. Forty-five were Pakistani citizens, two were Austrians and one Chinese. A Pakistani ex-pop star, turned Muslim preacher, Junaid Jamshed and Deputy Commissioner for Chitral District Osama Ahmed Warraich were reported to be on the flight. Very few of the bodies could be identified visually, with most burned beyond recognition, officials said. Recovery efforts continued into the night to remove body parts. A government official said that witness reports indicated that the aircraft was on fire before it hit the ground. Other reports suggested the ATR had suffered engine problems immediately prior to the crash. An investigation is ongoing, but the carrier has insisted strict checks left "no room for any technical error". "I want to make it clear that it was a perfectly sound aircraft", PIA Chairman, Muhammad Azam Saigol, said. "I think there was no technical error or human error". Plane crashes are not uncommon in Pakistan, but the last major crash involving a PIA aircraft was in 2006, in which 44 people died.